A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

IAFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 269to believe and to repent, if it be in a touched heart, is inacceptation with God as reconciliation, faith, repentanceitself*."" A weak faith shows itself by this grace of God, namely,an unfeigned desire, not only of salvation (for that thewicked and graceless man may have), but of reconciliationwith God in Christ. This is a sure sign of faith in everytouched and humbled heart, and it is peculiar to theelect t."" Those are blessed who are displeased with their owndoubting and unbelief ; if they have a true earnest desireto be purged from this distrust, and to believe in Godthrough Christ :t.""Our desire of grace, faith, and repentance, are thegraces themselves which we desire ; at least, in God'sacceptation, who accepteth of the will for the deed, and ofour affections for the actions §."'•Hungering and thirsting desires are evidences of arepenting heart II."" Tjue desire argues the presence of things desired, andyet argues not the feeling of it If."" It may not be dissembled, that there are in the worldmany definitions or descriptions of faith, such as do notcomprehend in them that only thing which is the chief stayof thousands of the dear servants of God, and that is, desireswhich may not be denied to be of the nature of faith. I expressmy meaning thus : That when a man or woman isso far exercised in the spiritual seeking of the Lord hisGod, that he would be willing to part with the world andall things thereof if he had them in his own possession,so that by the Spirit and promises of God he might be assuredthat the sins of his former life, and such as presentlydo burthen his soul were forgiven him ; and that he mightbelieve that God were now become his God ;—in Christwould not doubt to pronounce that this person (thus prizingremission of sins at this rate, that he would sell all to buythis pearl) did undoubtedly believe. Not only because itis a truth (though a paradox) that the desire to believe isfaith ; but also because our Saviour Christ doth not doubtto affirm that they are blessed that hunger ' and thirst afterrighteousness, because they shall be satisfied' (Matt, v, 6).' Perkins, in his Grain of Mustard Seed, Concl. 3.t Idem, in his Exposition of the Creed.t Idem, upon the Sermon on the Mount.5 Downam, in his Christian Warfare, chap. .xlii.||Dvke, of Kepentance, chap. xv.II T'T. upon Psalm xxxii.